Student participation at Palomar has shown to be lacking due to students balancing school, work and a social life.
Palomar College has numerous school activities to offer, including clubs, sports, internships and so much more. But students either aren’t taking an interest or just don’t have the time.
Palomar administration, faculty, and student body works hard to create interesting and unique activities for students to take part in, there is definitely a lack of participation coming from the students. Why is this?
While faculty and staff would like to see students getting out there and having some enthusiasm in the place that educates them, there are several reasons why students don’t dedicate any time to school activities.
“I feel like I don’t know enough about them and there aren’t any clubs that suit me,” said Palomar student Noemi Palihnich. “Some of the clubs are outdated, too. When I emailed the clubs I wanted to join, they didn’t have them anymore.”
While this is fair justification for not participating in school, the reasons for a lack of student engagement on campus certainly goes beyond outdated club lists, as students’ schedules rob them of their time.
Another Palomar student, Parker Ward, said “I work full time so I’m always at work. I don’t have the time and convenience to go do stuff like that.”
Some students, like Parker, who are trying to balance the struggles of getting an education and remaining financially stable, find difficulty in dedicating time to additional school-related activities.
An additional factor that contributes to lack of student participation is the school’s absence of promoting and updating events. Students have brought up that they just aren’t aware of what clubs there are and that there is not enough attention brought to clubs, schools activities and events.
“They should make more announcements or make people aware that these are available. A lot of them you have to look into the websites to find out about them,” Parker said.
To address this issue, Director of Student Affairs, Sherry Titus said, “Palomar [assists] with Club Rush to help connect students to clubs.” Titus explained that this is an event where club members set up booths in the Student Union to recruit new members.
Palomar may not necessarily lack with advertising their events, but students may just be way too busy to notice them. “Many students are juggling work, school, family life, and it is challenging,” Titus said.
From having a busy work life to managing school work, the majority of students at Palomar are here for just a few years. “By the time some students figure out what college life looks like, they are just about ready to walk in Commencement,” said Titus.
There are numerous events that are held on and off campus that offer an opportunity for students to get involved with their school. One way to begin getting involved on campus activities is attending the Associated Student Government’s meetings held at 11:30 on Friday mornings in room SU-204.
For more information on how to get involved, check out the Palomar College website to get informed on clubs and upcoming events.